A Brief History of Horror Film
by amy
Here are just a few of the high points in the history of cinematic horror...
1920: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: This German expressionist classic would go on to influence horror, science fiction, and film noir.
1922: Nosferatu: Actor Max Schrek, who took his role perhaps a little too seriously, is the creepiest vampire in film history. (Schrek's performance is memorably rendered by Willem Dafoe in Shadow of the Vampire.)
1925: Phantom of the Opera: becomes the first major horror film star.
1931: Frankenstein and Dracula: Both monster movie classics appear this year, introducing audiences to Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, respectively.
1960: Psycho: The shower scene, followed by the introduction-to-Norman's-mom scene, make this Hitchcock classic AFI's number one thriller of all time.
1964: Kwaidan: These four lavishly produced tales of the supernatural are adapted from Japanese ghost stories--a popular Japanese genre later responsible for Ringu, the film that kicked off the J-horror craze in the U.S.
1968: Night of the Living Dead: This low-budget, black and white film with rough edges turns out to be the perfect vehicle for unearthing the public's fear of flesh-eating zombies.
1973: The Exorcist: Linda Blair's head-turning turn as a girl possessed by the devil may just be the scariest film of all time.
1978: Halloween: The archetypal Boogeyman comes to town.
1999: The Blair Witch Project: This low-budget, black and white film with rough edges turns out to be the perfect vehicle for unearthing the public's fear of witches.
I'm sure I'm missing a few. Any suggestions?
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